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Khat is a stimulant drug extracted from the Catha Edulis plant. It’s used to produce a feeling of euphoria, increase focus, suppress the appetite, and reduce fatigue. Khat (pronounced “cot”) is a flowering evergreen shrub or tree originally from Ethiopia.
It’s also one of three plants, along with Ephedra sinica (used to manufacture ephedrine) and Erythroxylum coca (used in cocaine manufacturing), that serve as natural sources of psychostimulants.
What is Khat?
Persons in East Africa and Arabia have chewed fresh khat leaves and stems for centuries in social settings. Its use is similar to the practice of chewing coca leaves by Indigenous people in South America.
An estimated 20 million people regularly consume khat but its addictive effects are powerful. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies it as a drug that creates dependence.
In recent decades, migration from areas where khat is heavily used has significantly increased the international transport of fresh, highly potent khat leaves. The result is that the plant has become ubiquitous in the United States and many other countries where it was previously unknown.
This has only spurred concerns about widespread addiction worldwide.
How Khat is Used
Khat use varies depending on the freshness of the leaves. Most people chew the fresh leaves for a period of time to release the active components much in the same way people chew tobacco or betel nut. This produces a mild high or stimulant effect lasting from 90 minutes to up to three hours.
Dried khat leaves are also consumed but their uses are different. They’re used for brewing tea, making paste, or smoking (Graba). It’s not rare for individuals to sprinkle dried leaves on food. The people who employ these methods seek a stimulant effect similar to the one fresh leaves produce.
Khat’s Legal Status
Khat is illegal in the US, France, Switzerland, Sweden, and most European countries. Khat’s main chemicals—cathine and cathinone—are controlled substances (illicit stimulants) in the United States because of their high potential for abuse.
Khat has no legal commercial uses, such as manufacturing pharmaceuticals or any recognized medicinal value for application in treatments in the United States.
Nevertheless, khat is a common recreational drug in East Africa, with historical antecedents describing its use since the 13th century in Ethiopia. In East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, khat is a legal commodity, and its consumption is seen as a culturally accepted social activity.
Because khat consumption is the norm in some cultures, its harmful effects may be largely unknown. But the evidence suggests that khat is a dangerous and highly addictive drug.
Physical Effects of Khat
Khat’s physical effects resemble what other stimulants like cocaine generate in the human body. This is because khat’s main active ingredients are cathinone and cathine.
These alkaloids are central nervous system stimulants known as “natural amphetamines” due to the similarity of their chemical structure to the destructive drug, amphetamine.
When a person consumes khat, they’re likely to experience an increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure, producing typical stimulant effects and consequences such as:
Increased alertness, focus, and talkativeness: These effects are a common reason for khat’s social popularity in East Africa and the Arabian peninsula.
Amphetamine-like effects: Khat produces effects similar to those of amphetamines, including appetite suppression, anxiety, and aggression.
Chronic and severe illness: Khat use may result in severe physical illness and injury, including gastric disorders, liver damage, high blood pressure, and heart attack.
Behavioral changes and mental health issues: Khat can generate outcomes with prolonged use that affect an individual’s ability to lead a happy and productive life. You may experience depression, violent outbursts, paranoia, hallucinations, and more.
Khat withdrawal symptoms can be severe and resemble those of traditional stimulants, like methamphetamine and cocaine. Headaches, lack of energy and motivation, cravings, fear, anxiety, and other symptoms are possible when you discontinue the drug.
After Effects of Khat
The after effects of khat include physical and social impacts. A person’s life can be disrupted by khat abuse. Studies have shown that people who are addicted to khat can experience economic problems due to reduced educational achievement.
The drug can reduce your ability to make sound decisions and regulate your emotions. This in turn may lead to antisocial behavior and aggression that can affect your academics, your work, and your relationships. You may find yourself getting in legal trouble due to the drug’s impact on your behavior.
Khat consumption is also associated with an elevated risk of car accidents and, in children who consume the plant, with difficulties at school, as the compounds in khat can lead to cognitive deficits like impaired verbal fluency and recall, decreased cognitive flexibility, and poor impulse control.
This can lead in the long-term to poor educational achievement, increased life-long poverty, and a lower quality of life.
Long Term Effects of Khat
The long term mental health effects of khat are worrisome. Depression, insomnia, mood swings, restlessness, and suicidal ideation are more likely in persons after prolonged use of khat. These consequences mirror the same damage that other stimulants bring to a person’s mind.
Khat can also cause severe cardiovascular risk. Several studies have shown that khat consumers have a 39-fold risk of acute heart attack than people who don’t use the plant. Khat elevates blood pressure and heart rate and increases the chances of achycardia and stroke.
Khat can result in significant dental complications like tooth discoloration, periodontal disease, and even elevated risk oforal cancer.
With the prolonged use of khat, it’s common for people to lose their appetite. You might present with malnutrition and other metabolic imbalances such as increased insulin resistance and elevated fasting glucose.
The plant is also harmful to the gastrointestinal system. Constipation, chronic gastritis, esophagitis, and a higher risk of gastric cancer are complications that researchers have unveiled in frequent khat users.
Khat can lead to reproductive issues in men that range from infertility to erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. In pregnant women, studies have found an elevated risk of anemia in women with a chronic khat consumption habit.
